Francesc Daniel Molina i Casamajó

Francesc Daniel Molina i Casamajó
Born	1812 (1812) Vic
Died	1867 (aged 54–55) Barcelona
Other names	Francisco Daniel Molina
Education	Escola de la Llotja, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando
Occupation	Architect
Notable work	Royal Square (Barcelona)

Francesc Daniel Molina i Casamajó (Vic, 1812–Barcelona, 5 July 1867) was a Spanish architect.[1]

Biography

He was born in the city of Vic, Barcelona Province, in 1812. He completed his early studies at Escola de la Llotja,[note 1] an art and design school in Barcelona.[2] In 1843, he graduated from the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando[note 2] in Madrid.[3][4] And then, in 1850, he was elected fellow of the Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi.[note 3][5]

Plaça del Duc de Medinaceli

In 1851, he designed the Plaça del Duc de Medinaceli[note 4] square in Barcelona.[6] The following year, he built the Santuari de la Mare de Déu de la Misericòrdia [ca][note 5] church in the municipality of Canet de Mar.[7]

Santuari de la Misericòrdia de Canet de Mar

Furthermore, in 1852, he was commissioned to design a monument to the memory of Minister of War Francisco Bernaldo de Quirós [es], Marquis of Campo Sagrado [es]. The monument was completed in 1856 and it is known as the Font del Geni Català [ca],[note 6] a historic fountain built in the neoclassical style and located in the Pla de Palau [es][note 7] square in Barcelona.[1][8]

Font del Geni Català

But Molina's most important project was that of the Royal Square in Barcelona (1848–1859). It is considered the traditional Spanish main square, with its Elizabethan-style façades and arcaded ground floor, in the same style as the façade of the Teatre Principal,[note 8] after his restoration following a fire in 1845.[1][8]

Royal Square in Barcelona

Teatre Principal

Barcelona City Hall

He served as the council architect of Barcelona in 1855,[3] succeeding Josep Mas i Vila [ca]. He worked on the coat of arms on the pediment of the neo-Gothic façade of Barcelona City Hall, as well as the Saló de la Reina Regent,[note 9][note 10][9] which was finished in 1860. In 1865, influenced by The Cerdá Plan for Barcelona, he drafted an urban renewal plan for Sabadell, but it fell through.[10]

Notes

1. English: Llotja School
2. English: Royal Academy of Fine Arts of San Fernando
3. English: Royal Catalan Academy of Fine Arts of Saint George
4. English: Duke of Medinaceli Square
5. English: Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mercy
6. English: Fountain of the Catalan Spirit
7. English: Palace Square
8. English: Main Theater
9. English: Hall of the Queen Regent
10. In September 2016, the name was changed to Carles Pi i Sunyer Hall, in honor of Carles Pi i Sunyer [es], who served as the Minister of Labour and Social Economy in 1933, under the administration of Diego Martínez Barrio.

References

1. "Francesc Daniel Molina i Casamajó". Gran Enciclopèdia Catalana (in Catalan). Retrieved 3 March 2024.
2. Antigüedad del Castillo-Olivares, Nieto Alcaide & Martínez Pino 2015, p. 93.
3. García Melero 2002, p. 90.
4. Carrera Pujal 1957, p. 139.
5. Gras & Freixa 2016.
6. Balaguer 1888, pp. 472–473.
7. Alcalde Vilà 2011, pp. 23–26.
8. "Francesc Daniel Molina i Casamajó". Real Academia de la Historia (in Spanish). Retrieved 3 March 2024.
9. "El salón de plenos de Barcelona cambia el nombre de Reina Regent a Carles Pi i Sunyer". Europa Press (in Spanish). 30 September 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2024.
10. de Solà-Morales i Rubió 1997, p. 131.

Bibliography

• Alcalde Vilà, Sergi (2011). "El projecte inicial del Santuari de la Misericòrdia de Francesc Daniel Molina" (PDF). El Sot de l'Aubó (in Catalan). No. 36. Canet de Mar, Spain: Centre d'Estudis Canetencs. ISSN 2014-5969.
• Antigüedad del Castillo-Olivares, María Dolores; Nieto Alcaide, Víctor; Martínez Pino, Joaquín (2015). El siglo XIX: la mirada al pasado y la modernidad (in Spanish). Spain: Editorial Universitaria Ramón Areces. ISBN 978-84-9961-195-2.
• Balaguer, Víctor (1888). Las calles de Barcelona en 1865: (complemento de la historia de Cataluña) (in Spanish). Madrid.
• Carrera Pujal, Jaime (1957). La escuela de nobles artes de Barcelona (1775-1901) (in Spanish). Barcelona: Bosch.
• de Solà-Morales i Rubió, Manuel (1997). "Ensanches". Las formas de crecimiento urbano (in Spanish). Barcelona, Spain: Edicions UPC. ISBN 9788483011973.
• García Melero, José Enrique (2002). Literatura española sobre artes plásticas (in Spanish). Spain: Ediciones Encuentro. ISBN 978-84-7490-649-3.
• Gras, Irene; Freixa, Mireia (2016). Acadèmia I Art. Dinàmiques, transferències i significació a l'època moderna i contemporània (in Catalan). Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona. ISBN 9788447540037.